On today’s episode, I am sharing my tips on how to handle situations when you make a mistake. This entire podcast is about how learning from your errors can make you a better professional…but if you have ever been in this predicament you know this is no fun. Please keep in mind that I am a photographer so my errors and mistakes are photography based. However, I want you to envision while listening how you can take these lessons and apply them to your own creative industry. We have all been in these situations but the overriding lessons learned can hopefully help you to better handle the inevitable messes that come purely as a result of running your own business!
Below is a brief summary of the podcast…but if you want all the details be sure to listen in!
- Call the Client
It is not uncommon for things to come up in the process of working with a client. Whether it is accidentally forgetting something or typing out something incorrectly in an email, mistakes can always happen! Whatever the situation may be, when I receive an email pointing out my mistake, my stomach immediately hurts. And rather than emailing the client back, I know now to call them first and then send a follow up email after the phone conversation has finished. Sometimes, written words can be misinterpreted and phone calls can soften the words through tone and the way the words are said.
- Own Up to the Mistake
I think the time between when I send out a gallery and I hear from the client is one of the most nerve wracking times. I’m always scared that when I hear back it will be something not so great and this one time it was not. I was photographing the formals for a wedding and suddenly it started raining. In the bustle of it all, I forgot to take a portrait of just the bride in her dress. The mother of the bride noticed that this image was missing from her gallery, so I immediately called her and offered to shoot a mini session for the bride so we could get the image she was hoping for. The moral of this story, when you do something wrong, just admit it. No one wants to hear excuses for why something was done wrong, they only want to hear that you are acknowledging their feelings and ready to make it right!
- Have a Solution Prepared
In the situation I just talked about, you may have noticed that when I called her mother I had a potential solution in mind. This way, I could apologize and offer something in exchange for my error. Sometimes apologizing is enough, but offering to make it right is a great way to move towards reconciling the situation.
- If the Proposed Solution isn’t Received, Ask How to Make it Right
If my suggestion would not have been something she wanted I would simply have asked what I could do to make it better. Whether this is as simple as a print credit or as complex as arranging some time for a session, I would offer the advice to do whatever it takes. Referrals are everything in business. The client may have something already in mind, and all you have to do is ask!
- Don’t Involve the Client Until You Have The Issue Figured Out
Alarming your client is the last thing you want to do, especially when you don’t need to. SO, whatever you do, do not let them know that you have made a mistake until you have at least wrapped your head around it and know that it is one you cannot return from. I even lost one of the rings at a wedding, and thankfully, after crawling underneath the porch, I found it. Was I going to let the bride know if I had officially lost the ring? Absolutely! Did I need to make her worry that I had lost it when I hadn’t. Absolutely not. But, no matter what mistake you make, fix it right away. The sooner you do try to fix it, even if it’s only to admit that you messed up, the better the results and the less time the client can spend upset with you.
- Be Creative With How to Solve the Problem
I was soooo excited when the Nikon D5 camera body came out and I was so pumped to try out the new piece of equipment for my next wedding. I did not take the time to read the manual, and that turned out to be a huge mistake. The focus was very different than what I was used to and all of the images from the exit were completely unusable. I brainstormed on how I could fix this problem and finally remembered that there was a videographer at the wedding. Thankfully, they were able to send me a screen grab of the exit, which was much better than the images I had. Sometimes if you can just step outside of the situation enough you may come up with a different solution to your problem!
- Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
My mom has always told me not to write something down that you don’t want people to read. When something goes wrong, try to resist shouting it from the rooftops. It is totally normal to be scared or nervous but sharing it on a public forum such as Facebook, I would not suggest. Your reputation is everything and you must do your best to protect and value your brand. When the situation is resolved and you can use your story to help others by sharing your story.
- Always Be Honest
No one loves the feeling of making a mistake and we all avoid it like the plague. But whatever you do, do not lie about it. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles is something to surely strive for not only in your business but in life.
- Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Every mistake you make is an opportunity for you to learn. The worst thing you can do is dwell on something that is already done. Especially if it’s something you cannot do anything about. I remember the first time I showed up to a photo shoot without film. I was SO disappointed. But guess what? I never forgot film for a photoshoot again.
You see, that is the great thing about messing up… you learn and you grow. It’s okay to be tough on yourself but don’t let it debilitate you or make you too scared to continue doing the thing that you are working toward!
- Learn From Your Mistakes
In the busy and crazy nature of life and entrepreneurship, the idea of doing something more or changing the way you are doing something can almost feel overwhelming. But if you can just take a few seconds to step outside of the cycle to make a change, you can potentially prevent that from every happening again.
- Go Above and Beyond What is Promised
So, you’ve done all of these things and hopefully worked out a solution to the mistake you’ve made. From there it’s now your job to prove to the client that they are your priority and you will do everything in your nature to make things right. For an example, if you’re reshooting a mini-bridal session because you missed her bridal image during the wedding, promise to shoot 1 roll of film and shoot three. Under promise and over deliver. As I mentioned before, referrals are everything and a mistake can almost become an opportunity to make a client love you even more than before because they see how much you care.
- Show Sympathy for Others when They Make a Mistake
Mistakes just happen and usually when we least expect them to, and that’s just how life goes. But, I feel like if you can find it in yourself to be understanding when others make mistakes, that sort of thing will find its way back to you! I can still remember when my office assistant was helping me with a piece of equipment and accidentally broke it.
She felt terrible even offered to take the cost of the equipment out of her pay, but I assured her that I do these sorts of things all the time. Realistically that could have been me instead of her making that exact same mistake. I know it’s easier said than done and sometimes I definitely lose my cool, but the next time you find yourself in a situation like this. Take a step back and put yourself in their shoes.
I hope today’s episode was helpful…Always Remember That Mistakes Make Magic
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